Energy Flow
by Falyse
Summary: Post GS:TLA. What happened to the part of Golden Sun that Alex possesed? After his death, it had to go somewhere. This tells the story and how the Adepts rise up to meet it. (Mudshipping and others)
1. Prologue

Welcome to my fanfic! Just a few little facts you need to know...This takes place one year after the events in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. The only sure coupling right now is that of Isaac/Mia or I guess what ya'll call it...Mudshipping. So yeah, if you can't stand it, then don't read it. Anyways, see what ya make of the prologue.

I claim no ownership to Golden Sun and it all belongs to the wonderful people at Camelot. 

****

Energy Flow

Prologue

There comes a time when everything seems right in the world. The sun is permanently shinning and you're walking on air. And you would give anything...anything for time to be suspended at that moment.

The citizens of Vale had reached this moment. After almost a year, reconstruction was nearly completed. The large psyenergy stone provided unlimited energy for the workers and it was the center of the new town of Vale. All other buildings made a perimeter around the stone. The town didn't reach into the foothills of Mt. Aleph anymore, but stopped at the edge. However; the Great Healer's sanctum had been rebuilt in its old location. The same went for Kraden's cottage.

At this moment, the said alchemist was performing yet another experiment in his cluttered cottage. The old man's wizened features were screwed up in concentration. Deep lines ran across his face as he peered at the dark green liquid resting in the glassware. He picked it up gently and carefully swirled it around. Staring at it for a few more moments, he seemed to come to a decision. Reaching over to another table, he found a clear liquid in another glass. Setting down the clear liquid, he seemed to contemplate the two solutions again. Then finally he reached over and poured the clear liquid into that of the green liquid. Nothing seemed to happen for a second and then Kraden noticed some bubbles forming in the glass.

He peered curiously at it, noticing a higher rate of bubbling. He reached down to pick up the glass, to hold it at eye-level. Touching it he quickly drew back, and looked at his hand to see it as a raw, blistered red. 

"Curious...no reaction should heat up that much in such a short amount of time..." He muttered to himself as he poured a nearby glass of water over a clean towel and then placed the soaked towel over his hand to help with the burn. Concentrating on that task, he didn't notice the reaction growing more violent. A large crack and then bang made him turn back toward his experiment. Suddenly he blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isaac sat on top of his roof, observing the activities of the citizens of Vale. His roof offered a prime view for people watching, being on the first ring of buildings. The space between the psyenergy stone and the first ring of buildings was great for children and for market activities. He could see a few kids playing with a dog, many adults bartering over items and others going in and out of shops and the large inn. 

A breeze ruffled his golden hair and blew his yellow scarf. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he noticed smoke in the corner of his vision. Seeing that it was in the direction of Kraden's cottage, he ignored it. And turned his attention to two young teens that were training their psyenergy. One, a boy of 13, had just learned Flare and another, a girl of 14, had mastered Quake. Isaac smiled fondly as the two realized they had mastered their first attack spells. He remembered when he had learned Quake, it had been just after his first battle with a monster. Chances were that the two teens wouldn't develop much more attack psyenergy, except if something were to happen like with him. But the chances of that were very unlikely. The girl would never be able to summon Odyssey and it had always been a favorite with him. It made him reflect back on memories of battles. There had been so many battles...

_Flashback_

Dullahan had summoned Charon, taking out both of the Wind Adepts, who had been weak from previous attacks. Garet had fell to his knees and Jenna used her staff to hold herself up. Isaac collected himself after the blow and immediately made a move to Sheba, who was nearer to him, to cast revive. He saw Felix moving toward Ivan as well. But Dullahan was already a step ahead, casting Djinn Storm. 

"Shit." Isaac muttered and he heard Felix echoing his sentiments. 

Picard, Jenna, and Garet had taken advantage of the opening Dullahan left on himself after the summon and casting. With Ivan and Sheba down, and Felix already moving to join Picard and the others, that only left Mia. A rustling of skirts announced her hurried arrival over to where Ivan and Sheba lay. 

Mia glanced back at the battle and then back to the two Wind Adepts. Isaac noticed she looked drained and weak, casting potent cure on her, she appeared more energized. She smiled at him in a way of thanks. And he found himself grinning back at her, even amidst a battle. There was an explosion as Garet cast inferno, and Isaac shook himself into focus.

"Go. I'll do what I can here, but it won't be much until my djinn recover." She said softly. Isaac nodded and with one last look to see Mia bending over Sheba, he returned to the battle drawing out the Sol Blade...

_End Flashback_

He and Mia had many moments like that, where they just caught each other's glaze or hold each other in a smile. But nothing more and sometimes he wondered if there was something more. And the Sol Blade...he brought his hand over to his belt, grasping where the blade should be. But it wasn't. He had given it up; it now rested in the Great Healer's Sanctum. He had slain too much and he feared it would come to easy for him. He wondered if he would ever pick it up again...even if the time called for it.

"Isaac!" 

Isaac was shaken out of his thoughts by the call.

"Hey Isaac!" Garet stood on the ground, looking up at his friend.

"How's it going Garet? Something wrong?" Isaac questioned noticing Garet's worried face.

"Didn't you see the smoke coming from Kraden's cottage?"

"Yeah, but he blows something up almost everyday. I didn't think there was anything to worry about."

"Well, we went over there-"

"Wait, who's we?"

"Jenna and I."

"What were you doing up near Kraden's cottage...never mind, I don't really want to know that."

"Aw, shut up Isaac, nothing happened. But come on down. We went over there to look, but the whole place is covered in smoke, and the door is jammed shut."

"Alright, I'm coming. Don't want the old man to injure himself anymore than necessary." Isaac said, crouching and then jumping off the roof. He landed nicely with knees bent, and tucked himself into a roll to absorb the shock better.

"Good, Felix and Jenna should already be up there to help the windbag."

"Ha!" Isaac gave a short laugh, "Sometimes I wonder if he can't help being longwinded."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kraden! Kraden, are you okay?" Jenna said into the smoky cottage. It was hard to see anything in the room. She coughed a bit, and stepped on into the cottage. She heard Felix, come in wordlessly behind her. 

"Right there." Felix said, his arm pointing to a prostrate figure on the floor. Jenna nodded her head and slowly made her way over to Kraden. Felix followed her inside, pulling up his tunic to cover his mouth and nostrils, while his sister just coughed her way through.

He knelt down next to Kraden and Jenna did the same opposite. Felix closed his eyes in concentration and then held a hand over Kraden's heart. 

"Revive."

Felix leaned backward and let Jenna hover over Kraden. The old man slowly opened his eyes and coughed a bit. Jenna helped him sit up and then get to his feet. The siblings then led him outside.

"Help me sit down over there." Kraden said, pointing to a nearby oak tree, that provided plenty of shade. They did just that, and Kraden sat down slowly. He leaned his back against the tree and closed his eyes.

Jenna and Felix looked at each other curiously. This wasn't the first time they had to rescue Kraden from one of his own experiments, but usually he was up and active right afterwards, trying to figure out what he did wrong. 

"Kraden?"

The said man heaved a large sigh and let his shoulders slump. "Get Isaac and Garet, they may want to hear this."

"They should be on their way, what's wrong?" Jenna asked.

"You'll find out soon enough." Kraden replied.

"What! Just tell-" Jenna said, looking at Felix for backup. He shook his head, and she fell silent mid-sentence. But not without a large "humph" and a mutter of "brothers."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh dear. Where do I begin? Oh, yes. I was busy performing my latest experiment. This one was on changing the molecular structure of-"

"Kraden just tell us the important stuff!" Garet said.

"It is important!" Kraden replied looking flustered, "Oh very well. The reaction to the chemicals was more violent than I anticipated and I was knocked unconscious. But then, oddly enough, I found myself in the very room where the Elemental Star's where kept. At first I was quite surprised, because I knew I wasn't dreaming. I was to aware of events happening to be dreaming. So I concluded that I was an astral projection."

"An astral what?" Jenna questioned.

"Projection. It's kind of like one's own spirit, comes out of one's body and is able to move around. Yet, one is intangible in this form. It's really quite curious, and not something that happens in the normal-"

"No need to tell us that, just start back with the dream...or I mean...the astral projection part." Isaac said, before Jenna and Garet good do anything threatening.

"Yes. So I found myself in the Elemental Star's Room and behold, there was the Wise One himself."

"The Wise One." Felix sneered. The other's shared his sentiments. Even though everything had turned out for the best in the end, the adepts didn't appreciate what the Wise One had done.

"Yes, yes! Stop interrupting me."

Jenna rolled her eyes, Garet and Isaac exchanged exasperated glances, and Felix just sighed.

"The Wise One began to speak to me then...and he gave me the most disturbing news."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, I hope you liked it. I would appreciate any sort of input or review. See ya next chapter.


	2. Preparations

Many thanks, for the support ya'll. Just to touch base on the Djinn, they will be making appearances, as for now, it'll just be too many characters in the story. And explanations will be provided later on.

I don't own Golden Sun.

Energy Flow

Chapter 1: Preparations

"What kind of disturbing news? The kind of disturbing news, that doesn't have anything to do with us or the kind that does?" Garet asked.

"Garet what do you think? And don't answer that! It was a rhetorical question!" Jenna said.

"The kind that does...infact, it has everything to do with you." Kraden said.

The Adepts glanced at each other. Jenna noticed Felix's eyes hardening. She watched Isaac hand twitch, as if he was going to grab a sword. But of course, the Sol Blade wasn't in his possession at the moment. Garet tensed up and she noticed a worried expression come onto his face, that she hadn't seen in a long time.

Suddenly the bright and warm day didn't seem so welcoming. Jenna felt as if the shadows had just grown longer. And right then, everything just seemed twisted and wrong.

"The Wise One told me, that there is new power coming into the world. And it's all because of the Golden Sun. Alex did die on Mt. Aleph and you know, he did possess the Golden Sun. Now when he died, the Golden Sun didn't have a place to go. All of that energy and power, it needed a new host or hosts. Do you understand?"

The Adepts nodded their heads, for once not tuning out Kraden.

"The Wise One went on saying that the Golden Sun did find a new host, or more specifically hosts. The Wise One is not sure the number of humans that received the Golden Sun. Or even the amount of power each host received. He does know that the amount wasn't equally divided."

"Where did the Golden Sun go?" Felix questioned.

Kraden adjusted his glasses, "I do not follow you Felix, what do you mean?"

"He means, where did the Golden Sun that Alex possessed, where did it go? Who are these new hosts, and where do they live? Right Felix?" Isaac said, looking at Felix for confirmation, who nodded his head in agreement.

"Apparently, the Golden Sun fled to the lighthouses; Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. And that means, the hosts were most likely those in the towns that were near the Lighthouses, Lalivero, Imil, Prox, and Contigo respectively. When was the last time any of you received a letter from Ivan, Sheba, or Mia?"

"We got a letter from Ivan, about two weeks ago. He's been in Kalay with Hama the whole winter. He has the teleport Lapis, and Hama goes back to Contigo once a week, to make sure the town is doing okay. She is in charge there now, in case you didn't know Kraden. But Ivan didn't say anything suspicious about Contigo...or maybe Hama just didn't tell him..." Jenna spoke up.

"And Sheba is in Tolbi with Faran. Apparently they've been there awhile. They have been trying to start a Northern Gondowan Peace and Trade Agreement with Iodem. But he's been rather stuffy about, so they've been there awhile. Uh...I don't remember when that letter came." Garet ended rather sheepishly, his hand behind his head. 

"About ten days ago." Isaac said with a grin at Garet, but that grin quickly faltered. "But we haven't had a letter from Mia since last fall. I assumed it was just because of the winters. You know how bad they get. I figured no messenger would want to track through Imil and it's territory during the winter. But now I'm not so sure." He bit his bottom lip in worry and the others exchanged glances.

"Kraden, what exactly does the Wise One want us to do?" Felix asked.

"Those with the Golden Sun are becoming more and more powerful, also hostile. Prox has become more military like, boosted by those with the Golden Sun. Lalivero has had an uprising and an overthrow of power while Faran has been away. I assume that both Sheba and Faran are unaware of this. Contigo has reportedly been split in half. Half of the people believe the power of the Anemos and their descendants should rule. The other half has formed New Contigo, under those that possess some of the Golden Sun. And Imil, from what the Wise One said, has experienced revolts and the hosts of the Golden Sun are starting some sort of dictatorship. The Wise One wants you to stop it before this gets out of hand."

"So we have to save the world...again." Garet announced.

"How powerful are the hosts?" Isaac said in a very demanding tone. "And why doesn't the Wise One just stop them?" 

"The Wise One is very powerful yes? But his energy and power were vanquished greatly when he defeated Alex last greatly and he won't have enough to defeat anybody in this world for another century or so. At least according to some quick calculations I just conducted. And Isaac, to put it bluntly, a few of the hosts, could easily be as powerful as you."

"Why does this have to happen? Now, when everything appears to be over, we have to do this again! I want no part in this!" Isaac yelled out. Garet could never recall him looking angrier. He looked like he was at the point of storming away when Felix spoke up.

"So that's it huh Isaac. You're just going to leave and make us do all the work. What kind of leader are you? You're just going to sit here in Vale, while we go and defeat these people. Stop throwing a tantrum and grow up!" Felix said softly. He stood up straight looking at Isaac calculatingly. His messy brown hair swept in a breeze and his dark eyes looked at his counterpart scornfully. Kraden seemed rather taken back by Felix's words and Garet looked torn, trying to decide if he wanted to defend his best friend or not. 

"What about Mia, Isaac? Are you going to forget about her?" Jenna said calmly, contradicting her normal nature. She remained sitting on the ground. She looked impassive, as if everything that had just taken place had nothing to do with her. She looked at Isaac straight in the eye. "Are you going to deny her? Deny Ivan? Deny Sheba? And Picard?"

Isaac didn't answer for a moment. He closed his blue eyes to get away from the calm stare of Jenna's. He let his fists, which had tighten into balls, relax and his shoulders slumped. 

"...No...of course not...I would never..." He said after a moment. Jenna smiled briefly.

"I apologize. You were right Felix; I was acting like a little boy. I acted rashly." Isaac said a moment later in the silence that followed. His eyes were lowered to the ground in shame.

"It's behind now Isaac. Let it go. We all don't want to do this. But we have to." Felix said.

Isaac grinned and Garet clapped him on the back hard enough to make him stumble. 

"Well what's the plan then?" Garet asked.

"We'll leave tomorrow. It will be easiest to get to Ivan first and luckily he also has the Teleport Lapis. Then we pick up Sheba and Piers. And finally we'll head to Imil to help Mia and to hopefully put these Golden Sun holders in their place." Isaac said, catching his stride as the appointed leader. "What do you think Felix?"

"Good enough for me." Was the short reply.

"Let's go! We have a lot to prepare for tomorrow! What do you say? Meet at the town gates just after dawn?" Jenna asked, bounding up from her position on the ground. 

"Sounds good to me. Can I be in charge of food rationing again?" Garet asked.

This was met with a giggle from Jenna and an exasperated sigh from Felix. "Whatever you want to do Garet." Isaac said.

The four adepts started their way back toward town, making lighthearted conversation. Contradicting their actual feelings of what was happening.

"Hey wait for me! Can I come with you tomorrow? I'm not to old for adventures!" Kraden yelled out after the adepts. "Oh bother, I'll just meet up with them tomorrow morning."

He shakily began to pick himself off the ground using the tree for support. "Maybe I am getting to old for this." He said after finally standing up. "I don't believe this next adventure is going to be all fun and games either..." 

Kraden stood for a moment longer, reflecting on everything that occurred today, his vision, the Adept's reactions, and Isaac's reluctance. "This isn't going to be anything like we expect. And for someone reason I believe it's going to be a lot harder than they think." He told himself. After one last momemt of standing in the shade of the oak tree, he finally started his way back to his cottage. And suddenly, he looked a lot older.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garet took the plate of food handed to him with a simple "thanks" and just stared at it. All around him, his family joined in conversation with ease and laughter filled the air. He could hear his sister's shriek at his younger brother, Aaron, for throwing a bread roll at her. His grandfather was conversing quietly with his father and Vale's rebuilding progress with his grandmother busily interjecting her opinions whenever she felt the need. His mother was reprimanding his brother for throwing food and trying to stop his older sister, Kay, from doing anything back. Amid all of the commotion Garet's unusually withdrawn attitude wasn't noticed.

Looking at the window, Garet could see the sun just settling over the tops of trees in the west. The locusts, frogs, and crickets had just started picking up their night song, while the birds were winding down. The shadows in his home were lengthening and his parents had yet to light a fire or candles. Continuing to ignore his food, Garet's mind began to wonder to the events earlier in the day.

He was leaving tomorrow and he had yet to inform his family of that. He knew what their reaction would be. They were all too predictable. His mother would cry and tell him to be careful. His father would tell him he had to do what he had to do. His grandfather would wish he could come along and then give him some sort of speech. His grandmother would make sure he had all the supplies he would need. His siblings would poke fun at him and then there would be a teary farewell. He would miss his family, but he had a duty he needed to fulfill.

His conversations today with Isaac, Felix, and Jenna were lighthearted. The idea of what they were going to do laid on the edge of their minds. But they had ignored it entirely. Except for a moment when Isaac had mentioned Mia. He could tell his friend was really worried about her. Hell, he was too. But something about Isaac's tone had shown something more.

Truth to be told, Garet was a little excited about getting to leave again. To go out in the world and explore. However; he was a little unsure about this new rise in power. Kraden's tone, Felix's questioning, and Isaac's reluctance made him a little uncertain on how this adventure would turn out. He was scared that this quest wouldn't end as happily as the last one. How strong were these new enemies?

"Garet? What's wrong? You barely touched your food." His mother questioned, finally settling the dispute between Kay and Aaron.

Garet jumped out of his thoughts and reflections. He took a deep breath. "Mother, everyone, there's something I need to tell you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jenna came down from her room upstairs. She had her pack all ready, filled with necessities, ready to be picked up tomorrow. Her light sword, the Burning Sword, was sharpened and ready to be infused with Mars psyenergy so that it would inflame when necessary. In other words, the sword would become it's own name. 

Dusk had fallen on Vale and the townsfolk were winding down for the day. Jenna glanced out one of the stair windows to see light emitting from each of the cottages in Vale. Arriving downstairs, she came upon her father and mother sitting in the living room. 

Her mother was sitting in a straight back rocking chair that had been made especially for her by the Vale's carpenter. She was knitting as well. She appeared to be making some sort of stocking, though Jenna wasn't to sure. She never had the patience to practice knitting. Jenna stifled a small giggle at the image of her mother. She looked like her grandmother sitting there knitting. Looking at her, one couldn't tell that anything was the matter, but Jenna knew better. Her mother didn't have much patience either and the only time she knitted was when she was really worried about something.

Her father wasn't much better. He was sitting in an overstuffed dark blue armchair. He was seemed to be reading a rather thick book, but Jenna noticed he hadn't turned the page since she had come downstairs. He had his reading glasses on, but his normally relaxed face was tense in his thoughts.

"Well, I'm all ready to go." Jenna said finally speaking up.

Her mother looked up and gave her a smile, "That's good honey. You said you were leaving at first light right?"

"Yes mama."

"Be careful Jenna, I know you're strong, but just be careful." Her father asked, finally putting down his book.

"No worries daddy, I'll be okay. We'll all be okay. Where's Felix?"

"He's outside."

Jenna nodded her head in thanks, and grabbed one of the candles as she made her way out of the door. Felix and her had already told them, right when they arrived home. Needless to say, their parents weren't very happy. Immediately to her right, she saw Felix sitting on a bale of hay, leaning against their house. Excalibur was laid on his knees. The bare steel gleamed from the candelight she brought out.

"Hey." She said, sitting down on the ground next to him.

"Hey." Came his soft reply.

They sat in silence for awhile. Each contemplating what awaited them tomorrow. The air grew darker around them, and Jenna's candle burned lower. They heard their parents get up and extinguish all the fire inside, except for one candle. Around them, other houses were becoming dark, but still the siblings sat in silence. Nothing disturbed them, expect for noticing one silent figure moving from the path leading to the Great Healer's Sanctum. The figure didn't notice them, his intent on one thing. He carried a large sword in his hand. But Felix and Jenna rested easily, knowing from the familiar walk that it was Isaac. Holding the Sol Blade, point to the ground, Isaac quietly opened the door to his house and went inside.

"Why were you so harsh on Isaac today?" Jenna suddenly asked, once Isaac was inside.

"He needed it. He is happy here and now, but he doesn't need to forget about our friends. And he doesn't need to forget about all of Weyward. If Isaac hadn't exploded about it though, I would have, or Garet would have, or maybe even you. It's just something that would have happened, and I don't blame Isaac for it. He just needed the right words to remember it, and remember who he was. But I almost screwed it up. You helped me out there. Why did you target Mia specifically when you spoke up? You said her first and with the most meaning to it." Felix said. Jenna listened carefully. Most things that came from her brother had a lot of meaning. He always contemplates everything he says.

She gave a small smile at his question. "Just call it a girl's intuition. I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

She made the most noise yet getting up and leaving, her clothes rustling and the door creaking. She left the candle behind for him though. He smiled at the thought. Even if she was impatient and fiery, she did often think of others. But then again, maybe she just forgot it.

Felix sighed, looking down at Excalibur still bare on his knees. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I hope that was satisfactory, leave a review if you wish and I would greatly appreciate it.

Reviewer Responses

Triad Orion: Wow, a prominent author reviewing my story! Makes me feel good, but I'm sure you get that all the time, lol. Thanks for the tip on the description, I tried to be better about it this chapter, but it didn't quite feel up to par. I'm glad you found this interesting and I hope you keep on reviewing! Any helpful criticism is welcome.

Net Strife: Thanks for the review. I hope this fic keeps on proving to be interesting to you. This fic really does feel mediocre to me, but I'm happy ya'll think it's good for a beginner like myself. Hopefully I can make this better as I grow more experienced and any helpful hints along the way are appreciated!

Anime-Master7: Thanks for your review. I'm happy everyone is finding this a good enough start. And I hope this chapter kept it up for you!

Until next time folks! 


	3. Departure

In case you haven't noticed, I've had a penname change. No reason behind this, but the first one I had, just was part of my e-mail address. So I wanted to be a little more creative. Enough about my weird self...on to the fic!

Energy Flow

Chapter 2: Departure

Dawn came all too soon for Isaac. Struggling into his worn armor, with bleary eyes was quite the task. He stumbled his way out of the door, making enough noise to wake his parents. He made his way to the flowing creek. Splashing water on his face, he felt himself wakeup. The water was intensely cool, showing that winter had just ended. 

Now that he was wide-awake, he made his way back to his home. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon, and the birds were just waking up. However reluctant he was to leave his comfortable home, the day showed promise. As of yet, there were no clouds in the sky, and if the temperature remained constant it should be nice enough.

He arrived back to his house and was surprised to see both his father and mother awake. His father was wearing a bulky white robe over his sleeping shirt and his mother still had her nightgown on, but there was a large breakfast sat out on the table.

"Good morning Isaac." Kyle greeted.

"Morning. How did you get breakfast made that fast mom? I was only gone for about five minutes."

"It's a woman's secret." She answered with a smile and placed some strong black coffee in front of his father.

"In other words, she cooked it last night, and just left it in the over to stay warm." Kyle said with a cheeky grin.

"Hush you! I just wanted to have a nice, final meal together as a family." Dora replied, swatting her husband on the arm.

"Well thanks mom. No need to worry. If all goes well, we'll meet up with everybody and settle this dispute in a month." Isaac said, setting himself down at the table. He knew it was a lie as soon as he said it. All of his instincts told him it would take much longer than a month to settle this new multiple threat. He didn't want to correct himself though; both of his parents were smiling happily.

The family began to eat then; there was not much conversation. They just enjoyed each other's company. But the meal ended quickly enough, and Isaac stood up. He silently made his way to his room. 

Once there he took one final look around his room. He slid on his traveling boots and grabbed his pack. Then his eyes came to rest on the Sol Blade.

"So it's me and you again." Isaac said, picking it up. He looked at it, the blade was still as sharp as ever. Isaac couldn't explain it, but he always felt as if the blade was alive some how. It was part of him, however reluctant he was to take it. It did feel right, back in his hand. With a final sigh, he strapped the Sol Blade in it's sheath on his back.

He came back downstairs then and his parents were waiting for him. He stopped at the bottom stair and just stared at his parents who were waiting at the door. He looked at them as if he needed to hold the picture of them in his head. To think back on, while on the journey.

"Come now son. I saw Felix and Jenna make their way to the town's entrance. You don't want to keep them waiting." Kyle said, his hand motioning Isaac to come forward.

"Isaac, be a good boy out there. I know you'll make us even prouder now. And don't be afraid to find you a girl. It's about time you had one." Dora put in.

"Mother." Isaac said with a groan.

"Unless that is, if you don't already have one. It's that Mia girl isn't it? The sweet, quiet one with the blue hair?"

Isaac blushed faintly.

"Dora, enough!" Kyle laughed, his eyes danced in mirth. "Our son has to save the world...but who says he can't find love on the way!"

Isaac blushed furiously at that.

Kyle's laughter abruptly stopped. "Well, you best be going. You have another long journey at hand." He was all serious now. And for the first time, Isaac noticed the gray hairs on his father's head. And the wrinkles accumulating on his face. He was getting old, and Isaac hadn't noticed till now.

As Isaac stepped forward, Dora enveloped him in a hug. "Be careful out there. And I mean it. And don't be afraid, remember you have friends who'll watch your back. From what you told me, I gather that the Mia girl is in some sort of trouble. Just be careful." 

As she released Isaac from her hug, he couldn't help but wonder what she meant by "being careful." Be careful helping Mia? He wouldn't say rescue yet, he hoped beyond anything that there wasn't enough trouble for that cause. Or did she mean be careful about Mia? He shrugged it off and decided to think on it at another time.

He turned toward his father. Kyle just watched him, not saying anything, studying Isaac's face. His father held out his hand and Isaac took it gingerly.

"You're a man now Isaac. Well you have been for awhile. But you have been twice the man already that I ever had been or will be. I know you'll be fine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's taking Isaac so long? I'm ready to go!" Jenna whined. The sun was now fully up in the sky and Vale was bustling with activity. Not many people were suppose to know they were leaving, till the Mayor held a council that evening. But she had already been asked at least a dozen times, why she and the others were hanging around at the gates of Vale, fully clothed in armor and weapons. The situation was handled with a simple reply of "you'll find out tonight", but Jenna was tired of being bothered.

Felix was leaning against the gate. He looked utterly composed and ready to go. He had a cool expression across his face that permitted anyone to see what he could really be thinking or feeling at the moment. He had only had that expression leave him once this morning, and that was when the innkeeper's daughter and bashfully said goodbye to Felix. His roguishly handsome looks acquired a faint blush at that. And he mumbled a reply in return that Jenna didn't hear, but made her giggle and give him a kiss on the cheek. Felix had given a smile goodbye to her and then he crossed his arms and masked his face again.

Garet seemed just about as impatient as Jenna, but he seemed to tired to join her in pacing and whining. He had never been a morning person, and normally didn't wake up until about midmorning. He was sitting down, his head dropping onto his chest until he snapped back awake. His sword and shield was placed beside him, and his hand rested self-consciously on the hilt of his Fire Brand. 'Old habits die hard,' Jenna thought taking a glance at him. When she looked up again, she saw Isaac making his way toward them.

"About time!" Jenna said as Isaac stopped in front of him.

Isaac looked a little sheepish, "Sorry...it was just..."

"Ah Jenna, give it a rest! He's here late, but he's here." Felix interrupted the apology Isaac was going to give. He appeared impatient now, and restless for that matter. The normally stony Felix was more than ready to go.

"Good, we can leave before-" Garet began.

"Kraden! What are you doing here?" Jenna said, as Kraden suddenly appeared among them.

"-gets here." Garet finished and gave a sigh.

"You didn't really think you were going to leave me behind? This is going to be just like old times, and I don't intend to miss it. There is still so many things in Weyworld to discover. And things the youth, like you, need to know. And of course with myself being there, I can make sure you don't miss a thing." Kraden said. He appeared eager and was dressed in a simple tunic, with his heavy cloak on over the top. He was carrying a walking staff with an intricate design carved down the side and leading five horses, each equipped with a saddle. 

"Oh joy." Isaac deadpanned. "Let's move on out, it will be midmorning before long. And I hope, depending on these horses, that we can get to Kalay in five days." He finished, already picking out a chestnut brown horse and mounting it.

"Don't worry about the horses." Kraden said as the others picked out their horses. "I bought them yesterday evening. Granted, five horses are rather expensive, but I want you to know that I purchased each of those at a good price. They maybe mixed breeds, but they will get us where we need to go quickly. At least that was what the man I purchased them from insured me. I'll have you know that I use to be quite a fine horse rider back in my day. Why I even remember..."

They had reached Vault before Kraden finished telling the adepts what he remembered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time the adepts reached Kalay's gates they were on their fifth day out from Vale. The sun showed it was around mid-afternoon and was warming the backs of the adepts as they approached the gates. 

One of the guards gave out a friendly greeting, "Afternoon sirs and lady." He said with a slight bow. "You may enter and stay as long as you keep the peace. We have stables to keep your horses here. You'll find that our streets are very crowded now. It's twenty gold a night per horse."

"Very well. Here's a hundred gold, for prepayment." Isaac said, dismounting. The others followed his example and took their packs and equipment off the horses. A guard called for a couple of stable hand's. The two stable hand's, in fine livery, abruptly led their horses away. A guard handed them a signed document and told him to show it to the guards stationed here when they left to get their horses back.

Isaac nodded, tucking the document into his pack, and entered Kalay, followed by the others. Kalay seemed to have prospered even more since Master Hammet had been returned from Lunpa. If Isaac were to take an estimate, he would say it seemed as if the population had doubled since last time they visited. Garet made a beeline for a vendor who was selling different foods as soon as he sighted one inside of the city. Felix roughly pulled him back.

"Not yet, first we find Ivan." He said as Garet whined.

"Then food?"

"Yes, Garet, you great pig. Then food." Jenna replied.

"I'm not a pig I just like food." He continued to say.

The two fire adepts continued to converse as they followed Isaac, Felix, and Kraden through the streets. When they finally reached the Hammets' manor, heavily armed guards greeted them. These guards were not near as friendly as those stationed at the gates.

"What is your business at the Hammet Manor?" One questioned roughly. Five guards barred their passage in to the manor, they held spears out in the front of them and their armor gleamed from the sun. 

Isaac stepped forward. "We are here to see Ivan, the wind mage. He was Master Hammet's ward, but is now here with his sister Hama. We request entrance to see them."

"It's Lord Hammet, if you please boy. Not Master Hammet anymore." A guard said harshly.

"Ivan? We know Ivan. He's locked himself up in his rooms ever since his sister has left. Doesn't answer to anyone, including Lord Hammet." Another guard answered.

"Please let us in. We're Ivan's friends; he'll speak to us. It's urgent, please!" Jenna said.

"Sorry. Your request is denied. Please exit these premises immediately." The guards stepped forward, spears now pointed at the group. Garet's hand fell to his Fire Brand, but Isaac gave him a look that made him rethink his initial reaction. 

"Wait! I am the scholar Kraden. I wish to call a conference before Master Hammet." Kraden said, stepping up.

The guards abruptly drew back. "Do you have any documents to give proof?" 

"Well...yes...just give me a moment." Kraden said. He put down his pack, and began to search through the many papers he kept in there. Isaac raised an eyebrow at the sudden developments and just played it cool. Felix became impassive yet again during the wait. Jenna gave a grin to the guards, who seemed rather taken back by the gesture and then bent down to help Kraden. Garet, noticing Jenna's actions toward the guards, fumed.

"Ah, yes! Here's my scholar papers." Kraden announced, standing up and pulling a wad of papers out of Jenna's hands.

He handed them to a guard. The guard, scrutinized them for a second and then handed them back.

"Well Scholar Kraden, it appears everything is in order. I will announce your arrival, if you will follow me please." The same guard replied. The other four stepped to the side of the large doors in attention.

The adepts and Kraden followed the guard through the hallways of the Hammet Manor. To Isaac it appeared as if the Manor had undergone some expansion. The hallways seemed more elegant since last time they were here. Servants in fine livery scurried to and from different directions. Then they had quickly arrived in front of the doors to what the guard called the 'Great Hall' to greet Lord Hammet. 

"Lord Hammet, I present to you the Scholar Kraden and his four companions." The guard said. He held open an arm to show they were welcome inside.

"Isaac! Garet! As that you my fine fellows?" A strong voice greeted them. And suddenly Lord Hammet climbed off his chair and was shaking their hands in greeting. "And this must be Felix and Jenna and Kraden of course, judging by the descriptions Ivan has given."

"Milord! Is this entirely proper? You are breaking protocol!" The guard said, who had showed them in. Isaac could nearly see his jaw dropping in astonishment.

"What better way is there to greet the heroes that saved Weyward? I should be the one bowing to them!" Hammet replied boisterously.

"This...this is them?" The guard's voice rose high in the end and he sounded as if he had a hard time swallowing. "My sincerest apologies sirs and lady. I did not mean to...well I don't know what I didn't mean too."

Garet gave a wide smile; he loved this kind of treatment. "Do not worry, you will be forgiven if you bring me lunch."

"Garet, do shut up! This is not the time!" Jenna replied, reaching up to give him whack on the head, which Garet responded with a whiny "Ow! You didn't have to hit so hard!"

"You big baby, you'll be fine." Jenna replied, waving him off.

While the two fire adepts got back into a fight, Hammet had waved the guard away and motioned for a servent.

"You'll have to forgive Lowsly. He's Captain of the Guard, a good man, but strict on protocol." Hammet said to Isaac, Felix, and Kraden. The three just nodded in return and Hammet turned toward the servant. "Set up lunch on the dais for me, Lady Layana, and my guests."

The servant responded with a "Yes milord" with a bow and scurried off.

"Come my friends, there is much we need to discuss." Hammet said soberly and motioned for the adepts to follow him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, there's that chapter. I originally was going to have them meet up with Ivan, with a little bit of discussion among the adepts, but then the plot bunnies got me. And so this is what happens. A preview for next couple of chapters: We meet up with both Jupiter Adepts. And then we head off to Lemuria to get Picard.

Reviewer Responses:

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Insaneody: I've seen so many stories where Alex is back. He's a good evil character, but I wanted to branch out from that. If the story is good enough, and it's original besides the fact that Alex is alive, I'll read it. So maybe I'll have to check out your story. But I decide to go back on a limb and try my hand without Alex. I'm glad this story is creative enough for you, and I'm still working on trying to get enough description in. I still don't think I quite have it, but maybe someday...

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Net Strife: Nope, I won't be stopping anytime soon. Granted there might be a time that I go for a month without updating. Lol. I'm too interested in my own plotline to stop writing this fic. Besides the barest of outlines, I really haven't planned much out, besides the ending. That's all there in my head, but that might even change too. Thanks for the "excellent work compliment." I really don't know if it's quite there yet, but if you think that...that makes me feel real good! Lol. Oh by the way, I was reading your profile (sometimes I feel as if I'm the only one reading those things), and I found out you have the same birthday that I do. Imagine that! Okay...I feel stupid now...lol

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Anime-Master7: Easy enough question...the couples in this fic...well you know Isaac/Mia. In this chapter I started to touch base with Garet/Jenna. So I've decided on that. Now for the difficult one...Ivan/Sheba or Felix/Sheba. I haven't quite made up my mind yet. As of right now, I'm leaning a little more too Ivan/Sheba, but I'm not sure what the final decision will be. Last chapter I was leaning more toward Felix/Sheba. In the beginning, when I was first thinking up this story, I originally wanted to put in Picard/Hama, for no reason besides I wanted too. But I've realized, there is not much of a chance for me getting to that. Thanks for reviewing!

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Midnight C: You wouldn't believe how happy I was when I came home and saw you had reviewed my story. I have just recently read through all of your works...and I have to say, I was really impressed. I can understand why you and Triad Orion are so very popular among Golden Sun fics. I'm glad you like it so far, and I'm hoping you'll keep on liking it. Creatively I'm happy with this fic, as with what you reviewed. But I think I could make the story flow a little more, description wise and everything. Anyhow thanks for the review!


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